Nursing Programs: Update and Remove Unnecessary Conflict

Support Hospital-Based Nursing School Programs

Cosponsor H.R. 662, the MEND Act of 2017

Dear Colleague:

We invite you to cosponsor, H.R. 662, the Making Educating Nurses Dependable for Schools (MEND) Act in order to protect hospital based-nursing programs across the United States as they face conflicting regulatory requirements from Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) and their accreditation bodies. As America’s health care needs evolve, these programs provide our nurses with the quality education necessary to serve their communities by providing the world-class care that Americans expect and deserve.
This is identical legislation to the MEND Act introduced in the 114th Congress.

The Higher Learning Commission, the largest accreditation body for nursing education in the country, established a requirement that a nursing school either be separately incorporated or risk the loss of their accreditation status. Unfortunately for hospital-based
nursing schools, compliance with this requirement is in direct conflict with regulations for the federal Medicare nursing school pass-through funding program administered by CMS. As a result of current policies, hospital-based nursing schools are put in the
impossible position of deciding between losing their school’s accreditation or preserving vital funding.

This legislation offers a commonsense solution for these schools by allowing hospital-based nursing programs to meet the strict and ever-evolving standards of these national accreditation bodies by updating the CMS regulations. By removing the unnecessary
conflict that these schools face from CMS, the accreditation industry’s push for higher quality and accountability from all educational institutions can continue to be implemented without the unintended consequences that currently face these hospital-based
nursing schools. By passing MEND, we can ensure the highest education standards and ensure that hospital-based nursing schools can continue providing quality education while receiving necessary funding to train the next generation of nurses.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our nation will face a shortage of 1.2 million nurses by 2020. Hospital-based nursing schools are valuable institutions that give nursing students the highest-quality education and access to practical, real world
experience that will help our country respond to our dynamic health care needs.

We must pass the bipartisan MEND Act to ensure that these hospital-based nursing programs can continue providing high quality nursing professionals to our communities. To cosponsor this important legislation, or if you have any questions, please contact
Baruch Humble in Rep. Lynn Jenkins’ office (baruch.humble@mail.house.gov), Liz Stower in Rep. Kind’s office (elizabeth.stower@mail.house.gov).